In the clip embedded below, Rachel Maddow debunked the contention by many on the right that somehow President Barack Obama degraded the office of the president by participating in the Internet talk show “Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakis.

In a clip released earlier this week, Galifianakis and Obama traded mock barbs and the president directed young people to go to HealthCare.gov to sign up for health insurance before the March 31 deadline.

Conservatives quickly worked themselves into an angry froth over the clip. Bill O’Reilly proclaimed that Abraham Lincoln never would have appeared on any Internet comedy talk show.

Pundit and former George W. Bush White House advisor David Gergen tweeted, “Unimaginable that Truman, Ike, JFK, Reagan would appear on Between Two Ferns. They carefully protected majesty of their office.”

“No other president has ever done anything like this,” said Maddow. “Why did President Obama decide to degrade the dignity of the office in this unprecedented way?”

About the Author

David Ferguson is an editor at Raw Story. He was previously writer and radio producer in Athens, Georgia, hosting two shows for Georgia Public Broadcasting and blogging at Firedoglake.com and elsewhere. He is currently working on a book.